The Three Scaffold Scenes in The Scarlet Letter

Summary: The three scaffold scenes in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter signify Reverend Dimmesdale's steady progression towards complete atonement for his sin of adultery committed with Hester Prynne. In the first scaffold scene, he acts as Hester's deceitful accuser; in the second, he exhibits agony in the veiling of a transgression. Finally, in the third scaffold scene, Dimmesdale is humbly repentant, liberating not only himself of inner and outer torment, but also Hester and their daughter Pearl of their heavy burdens.

Nathaniel Hawthrone's The Scarlet Letter, occurring amidst the remarkable cruelty of Puritan society, depicts the sin of adultery committed by Hester Prynne and the distinguished Reverend Dimmesdale. In rich expressions, Hawthrone portrays Hester's agony, inflicted by society and the Reverend's refusal to disclose his wrongdoings in public. In the first scaffold scene, he is the duplicitous criticizer, in the second, the shrieking sufferer, and finally, in the third scaffold scene, Dimmesdale is portrayed as the humble penitent, now at peace with his Creator. Hawthrone's three scaffold scenes symbolize Dimmesdale's gradual advancement towards an utter public repentance, the first scene representing the minister's greatest reluctance in his confession of adultery, and the third denoting his flawless self-confidence.

In the first scene, Hester voluntarily discloses her transgression on the scaffold of the pillory, with her cowardly lover cautiously concealing his culpability. Here, Dimmesdale accepts...